Transcript to See an Abbreviated Sample: The Middle

Unit 2.3
THE MIDDLE COLONIES
Key Concept 2.1
Differences in imperial goals,
cultures, and the North American
environments that different empires
confronted led Europeans to develop
diverse patterns of colonization.
Source: College Board, AP United States History Course and Exam
Description (Including the Curriculum Framework)
Learning Objective 1
Students will analyze the
development of the Middle (MidAtlantic) colonies in the 17th and
18th centuries.
Unit 2.3
The Middle Colonies
Theme:
The middle colonies developed far
greater political, ethnic, religious, and social
diversity and represented a more
cosmopolitan middle ground between the
tightly knit New England towns and the
scattered, hierarchical plantation South.
I. Characteristics of Middle Colonies:
NY, NJ, DE, PA
A. Excellent land for farming: region became
known as the "bread colonies" for exports
of grain; also fruits and vegetables.
B. Three rivers – Susquehanna, Delaware, and
Hudson – provided a the means to tap the
fur trade in the interior.
C. Less aristocratic than New England and the
Southern colonies (except NY)
• Land holdings were intermediate in size
(except NY)
D. Fewer industries than New England; more
than in the South
1. Shipbuilding and lumbering also
important (not as large-scale as New
England)
2. Shipping and commerce
E. Population was the most ethnically mixed;
religiously tolerant; democratically
controlled (less so in NY)
• Yet, much factional conflict among
groups.
II. New York
A. Rise of the Dutch in North America
1. Henry Hudson, Englishman who was
employed by the Dutch East India Co.,
sailed into Delaware and NY bays in
1609, and traveled up the Hudson River.
2. New Netherlands founded in
1623-1624 on the Hudson
River by Peter Minuit
a. Established by the Dutch
West India Company for
quick-profit fur trade.
b. Manhattan Island bought
from Amerindians for
about $30.
New
Amsterdam,
1660
3. New Amsterdam (modern-day NYC)
was founded as a company town/seaport
a. City run by the DWIC in the interest
of the stockholders
b. Little religious toleration, free speech,
or democratic practices
c. Much grain production for export
along the Hudson River Valley
d. Patroonship: Aristocratic structure;
resembled serfdom
• Huge estates granted to promoters
who would settle 50 persons on
them. (One estate in Albany was
larger than Rhode Island!)
• Lowly laborers worked long hours
growing grain for export.
• After repeated protests, a semirepresentative body was finally
granted.
e. Cosmopolitan town: by the 1640s 18
different languages were spoken there
f. Intermarriage between Dutch settlers
and Amerindians was not uncommon
(in contrast to English settlers who
rarely intermarried or had sexual
relations with Amerindians or
Africans).
• Intermarriage was at times a means
of tapping the fur trade (French
traders also intermarried for
economic opportunity).
B. Challenges to New Netherlands and defeat
by England
1. Amerindians, in retaliation for Dutch
violence, massacred settlers.
• A fort was built as a defense; located
at today's Wall Street.
2. New England was hostile to the growth
of New Netherlands; saw the Dutch as
a threat.
3. Swedes trespassed on Dutch lands on
the Delaware River.
a. Established New Sweden between
1638-1655.
New Netherlands &
New Sweden
b. In 1655, a Dutch force led by Peter
Stuyvesant, ended Swedish rule.
c. Swedish colonists were absorbed by
New Netherlands.
4. 1664, Charles II ordered military
removal of the Dutch from New
Netherlands.
a. Peter Stuyvesant was forced to
surrender.
b. Charles' brother, the Duke of York,
was given control over the area.
5. Name of the colony changed to New
York.
C. New York Chapter of Liberties (1683)
1. Granted freedom of religion to all
Christians and gave all landholders suffrage.
2. Important as a step leading to eventual
democracy in New York.
3. Limitations:
a. Much land in the hands of a few
landowners or speculators.
b. New York retained feudalistic traits
more than any other colony in the
North (resembled southern plantation
owners).
New York Manors
and Land Grants
D. New York became a royal colony in 1685
when James II became king.
E. The economy benefitted from trade with
Iroquois and influx of some farm workers.
F. New York remained autocratic in character.
1. Discouraged many Europeans from
coming to New York thus retarding its
population growth.
2. Leisler’s Rebellion (1691) occurred in
response
a. Remnants of patroonships led to popular
discontent as huge estates were parceled
out to upper-class whites, crowding out
poor farmers.
b. Jacob Leisler governed New York
between 1689-91 and introduced some
democratic practices and redistribution
of land to poor laborers.
c. 1691, English gov’t sought to remove
him
d. A combination of poor whites and
farmers led by Leisler put up armed
resistance.
• Inspired by the "Glorious Revolution"
and the overthrow of the Dominion
of New England.
e. The revolt failed, Leisler was hanged, and
parceling out of huge estates continued.
f. Significance: demonstrated growing
disaffection of lower classes against the
privileged classes (Bacon’s Rebellion had
occurred 15 years earlier).
• Other rebellions would follow in the
18th century: Carolina Regulator
Movement (1739), Paxton Boys in
Pennsylvania (1764).
II. Pennsylvania (founded in 1681)
A. Quakers in England emerged during the
mid-1600's (Religious Society of Friends)
1. Non-conformist in nature: more radical
than the Puritans in opposing authority
a. Refused to support the Anglican
Church with taxes
b. Did not employ a paid clergy
c. Took no oaths
d. Made no deference to authority
figures
e. Pacifists: refused military service;
advocated passive resistance
B. William Penn
1. Gained huge land grant from
the king.
2. Primary motive for founding
a colony: create a religious
haven for Quakers
King Charles signing
the Charter of
Pennsylvania, 1681
3. Secondary motives: Experiment with liberal
ideas in gov't while making a profit.
• "Holy Experiment": Penn allowed
religious toleration among many
denominations in Pennsylvania
4. Pennsylvania became the best advertised of
all the colonies.
a. Pamphlets were distributed in England,
Netherlands, France, and Germany.
• Promised cheap land, freedom of
religion, and representative
government.
b. These generous land policies attracted
many immigrants.
c. PA also attracted carpenters, masons,
shoemakers, and other manual workers.
C. Success of Pennsylvania
1. The colony became a major producer of
grain and successfully traded with
Amerindians in the fur trade.
2. All Swedes, Finns, and Dutch in the area
were naturalized.
3. Philadelphia was carefully planned and
became one of the largest cities in North
America.
4. Representative gov't was established with
landowners having voting rights.
a. No tax-supported state church
b. Freedom of worship guaranteed to all
residents
c. No provisions were established for
military defense as it was against
Quaker pacifist doctrine.
d. Quakers were strongly against slavery
and eventually established the first
abolitionist societies during the
Revolutionary era.
6. By the mid-17th century, relations with
Native Americans had deteriorated.
a. The “Walking Purchase” of 1737
swindled the Lenape (Delaware) Indians
out of hundreds of thousands of acres.
b. Penn’s descendants were less interested in
building on the good relations William
Penn had fostered.
7. By 1700, Pennsylvania was 4th largest
colony (behind VA, MA, and MD)
a. Quakers were shrewd businessmen;
exported grain and other foodstuffs as
part of the Atlantic trade.
b. PA attracted a large German
population.
Three Types of Colonies
by 1775
Royal
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Virginia
Massachusetts
New York
Maryland
South Carolina
North Carolina
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Delaware
Georgia
Proprietary
Charter
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Pennsylvania
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New Hampshire (until
1641)
Maryland (until 1692)
South Carolina (until
1729)
New Jersey (until 1702)
Delaware (until 1703)
Georgia (until 1752)
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Connecticut
Rhode Island
Virginia (until 1624)
Massachusetts (until
1691)
North Carolina
(until 1729)